This application relates to methods employing compositions having selective biocidal, therapeutic, production and immunostimulatory action, based on concentration and exposure time, against living cells and microorganisms including Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria and other pathogens. The invention relates to the treatment of animals infected with such pathogens, as well as to treatment of noninfected animals, by administration of pH-buffered, redox-stabilized compositions comprising halide and oxyhalide ions to the animals. The free radical oxyhalide intermediates formed by the compositions produce immunostimulatory effects in the animals and result in increased food utilization, lower mortality, decreased nitrogen excretion and overall enhanced health of animals, as well as microbial reduction in foods. Moreover, because of their efficacy as therapeutic and immunostimulatory agents, the administration of said compositions to food animals results in decreased dependence on vaccines and antibiotics.
It has long been known that various chlorine-containing compounds can be used as biocidal agents. The literature contains many references to chlorine gas, various chlorites and chlorine dioxide as materials that can be used to kill microorganisms. Many patents teach that chlorine dioxide is an effective microbicide and also that it is a powerful and effective oxidizing agent useful in killing various microorganisms. Thus, there is a wide variety of patents and prior art references which describe the production of chlorine dioxide and/or the use of stabilized chlorine dioxide solutions.
The prior art describes many processes for the direct use of chlorine dioxide as a biocide. The prior art also describes many processes for the production of stabilized chlorine dioxide by the addition of a variety of inorganic compounds such as inorganic boron and/or various peroxides, including hydrogen peroxide (see, for example, Laso, U.S. Pat. No. 4,296,103; Kuhne, U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,285; and Gordon, U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,638).
Chlorine dioxide, however, also has many shortcomings. For example, it is a potentially hazardous material which is generally difficult to produce and apply where needed. Chlorine dioxide is also corrosive, and its formation requires considerable amounts of acid which add to its corrosive properties.
Gordon, U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,638 discloses an improvement in the previously known chlorine-based biocidal compositions. The Gordon compositions do not produce measurable amounts of chlorine dioxide, but do generate interactive intermediates, including but not limited to oxyhalogen reactants, which serve to provide the compositions with microbicidal properties. Gordon discloses the utility of the compositions as surface disinfectants.
Other publications have provided further insight into the chemistry of oxychloro compositions and have disclosed their biocidal properties (see, for example, Ullmann, et al., Infection 12, 225-228 (1984); Kuhne, European Patent No. EP0093875; and Gordon, et al., Environ. Sci. Technol. 25, 468-474 (1991)).
The food animal industry loses substantial amounts of money yearly due to infection of the animals resulting in attenuation of growth, loss of animal size, and death of animals. For example, there is an urgent need for a nonantibiotic agent that is effective against both bacterial and viral diarrhea in milk-fed calves. Dairymen and commercial calf raisers throughout North America are finding increasing cases of bacterial diarrhea in young calves which are not alleviated by standard antibiotic treatment. There are new strains of diarrhea-causing bacteria evolving which are more resistant to the antibiotics presently available.
In view of the foregoing, it is apparent that it is desirable to have a therapeutic, production, and immunostimulatory drug for use in the food animal industry that is benign to the host animals, less expensive and as effective as other immunostimulatory drugs, such as corticosteroids, which can have undesirable side effects. Furthermore, it is desirable to have such a composition which is useful as a disinfectant for the food industry.